The Liberty building that collapsed early Tuesday has been under renovation for months.

No one knows the reason for the collapse and what will happen next for the building, which a lot of people have a stake in.

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The collapse happened on the side of the building closest to Rock and Run Brewery. The Liberty pub had been planning an expansion into the historic building.

Owner Gene DeClue said he was brewing beer Tuesday morning when he heard something that sounded like a freight train.

“I thought some scaffolding had just fallen over, so I kind of ran out front and that’s when I saw the whole building collapsed,” he said.

The building was undergoing renovations for retail space. The nearly $600,000 renovation project came after the building had sat vacant for many years.

"It made me sick or sad, you know? We'd go by and it was empty for years, so I was glad to hear they were restoring it," said Liberty resident Mary Langner.

Work on the inside had been underway since November. Exterior work had been going on since January.

In a stroke of luck, all workers had moved to the next building to pull wires. Officials didn’t think there was anyone trapped under the debris, but they had cadaver dogs search the site to be sure.

More work is being done to keep the area safe, especially with the building at risk for further collapse.

“The streets are going to be closed for quite some time because of this issue. We definitely don’t want anyone else getting hurt,” said Liberty Fire Marshal Dustin Paddack.

A lot of people said they’re counting their blessings.

“Thank God,” said DeClue. “I mean, it could have been a whole lot worse.”

There have been two meetings Tuesday with owners, developers, tenants and the city to discuss what happens next. The city said it’s already clear that the damaged section of the building will be torn down, as early as Wednesday.

Residents said it may be a setback for the region, but the area still has a bright future.

"There's more ways than one into Liberty Square," said Diana Snider, who works in the area. "Liberty Square is alive and well, they've done so much in the past few years to get it alive, and we're excited about Liberty Square."